Less than a year after we reviewed the Mecool KM2 one of the best budget TV Boxes certified by Google, Mecool is back now with a new upgrade of this TV Box under the name Mecool KM2 Plus is an interesting streaming device that brought good performance and a nice selection of features.
That comes with a Google Certification DRM level L1 to stream HD or 4K and is equipped with an Amlogic S905X4 SoC which offers superior performance in all tasks and is supported by AV1 decoder and powered by Android 11, in addition to 2GB RAM and storage capacity of up to 16GB, all this allows you to watch and enjoy thousands of movies and series in 4K resolution and HDR10 support. so it’s time to talk about this TV Box and see if it is worth investing in and what its pros and cons are, And What are the new updates from the previous version.
Mecool KM2 Plus Features
- Amlogic S905X4 Quad-Core SoC
- ARM Mali-G31 MP2
- Android 11
- Google Certified Widevine L1
- LPDDR4 2GB, eMMC 16GB
- 2.4 & 5G Dual Wifi
- Support 4K Youtube, 4K Primevideo, Netflix
- Supports HDR10+, AV1
- Support OTA update, Google Assistant
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Design And Build Quality
The design implemented in the Mecool KM2 Plus is beautiful and simple with professional touches, to suit any of the smart TV setups you have in your room, it’s just a square black plastic box with flat edges and the Mecool logo on the top inside a gray circle, in the front, we find a 3 lamps green LED for power, network, and IR. From the bottom, there are ventilation holes and four rubber legs for added stability.
Moving on to the ports, what we often find in TV BOX devices includes Ethernet 10/100 connector, AV jack, HDMI 2.1, SPDIF, and power connector, on one side we have a USB 3.0, another USB 2.0, and a MicroSD reader with a maximum capacity up to 32 GB.
Under The Hood
The SoC used in the Mecool KM2 Plus is Amlogic S905X4 64-bit Quad-core ARM Cortex A55 2.0GHz, This processor is known for its good manufacturing quality at 12nm and gives you 30 percent more performance than the previous generation compared to the S905X3 found in most TV box devices. Also, It’s designed for high-performance devices and supports AV1 decoding which is now mandatory for popular streaming services.
The Mali-G31 MP2 graphics chip with a maximum frequency of 800MHz and a power of 2.6 Gpix/s. It has OpenGL ES 3.2 support and can handle games like PUBG. Without forgetting the 2GB RAM for multitasking it is not running very fast and has a storage capacity of 16GB eMMC without supporting a TF card slot to expand. Unfortunately, one of the weaknesses of this TV box is a small memory ( RAM & ROM), which is the minimum, and in 2022 I think it is not acceptable, and more memory capacities must be provided to choose.
Connectivity Of Mecool KM2 Plus
For connectivity, the Mecool KM2 Plus box contains 2.4GHz / 5GHz WIFI IEEE 802.11 b / g / n / ac dual-band, the network is acceptable but not the most stable, and has a 100MB LAN port, not the best thing but its more reliable than WI-FI and provides even better data transmission. And has Bluetooth 5.0 is not the latest generation but It works well, however, is acceptable at this price point.
Software
One of the strengths of the Mecool KM2 Plus TV Stick is that its equipped with an Android 11 operating system to provide you with a more efficient and secure operation, better compatibility with the latest applications, and thus better user experience (not rooted).
launcher
In the beginning, it’s fast to boot up, it will not take 30 seconds to take you directly to the launcher with some configuration wizard, where we can connect to the Wi-Fi network and define which apps will be installed by default.
The launcher is clean with a flat design and has a complete desktop layout for Android 11, what I find missing is the lack of a navigation bar and status bar for easy navigation and multitasking. but, you’ve got shortcut Apps that you can customize yourself. The overall performance is very good, we can move smoothly and quickly between menus.
Not only will it show you recommendations, but the app will also keep track of your watch history across different services. They all live on the same carousel, so you’ll see your Tubi history right next to the movie you didn’t finish on Disney+. If you’re looking to have a fully-featured TV operating system, you will be able to have everything you need with Android TV 11.
However, Google Assistant is integrated into the remote control, and thus users simply press the Google Assistant button to activate voice control and ask an unlimited number of questions such as checking weather information, finding the latest blockbuster, playing popular music, etc.
Applications
Android 11 allows the installation of apps from Google Play Store (Google Play Store version for Android TV OS) and contains pre-installed apps such as YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Hulu, Spotify, Tubi TV, and many more.
As an added bonus, this device has Chromecast built-in. This means that it’s quick and easy to stream content directly from your phone to your TV.
Mecool KM2 Plus supports Google services and allows you to install the full app that is available in the play store because is a certified Android TV. you can use a third-party store or use the Google browser to search the apk app, then download and install the app you want.
This is the official Android TV OS, so you don’t get features from the mobile version such as root access, navigation bar or status bar, screen rotation, etc. But, KM2 Plus Supports OTA updates, so it is necessary to solve some possible problems or upgrade the system.
Mecool KM2 Plus Performance
The KM2 Plus TV Stick offers you a good solution if you are a fan of series and movies and like to enjoy the highest possible resolution, then this device will give you a resolution of 4K with HDR and compatibility with most programs that display video content with the ability to play some games with a great experience.
Video playback
Mecool KM2 Plus supports 4K 30fps video output via HDMI 2.1 port which brings you high definition viewing and fluent video playback, making it the highest resolution signal available for home movies to let you watch 4K movies smoothly, every detail of the screen is clear and with high color saturation and quality excellent picture, no lag or stuttering, that’s the strength of this device.
Mecool KM2 Plus Streaming Service
As it’s known, it’s not possible to watch paid services like Amazon Prime and Disney Plus in 4k because these applications require specific licensing, But KM2 Plus has the DRM support level L1 to stream HD or 4K, And this is where the strength of the Android TV OS, which you cannot find in the other TV Stick.
However, IPTV services remain one of the solutions that you will find on this device and support any high resolutions you want, and there are also other programs similar to Netflix for free.
AV1 is a high-performance, royalty-free video codec that provides 20% improved compression efficiency over HEVC/VP9 and manages to save up to 30% in bandwidth for the same image quality.
YouTube Quality
When you go to YouTube, you can play videos on 4k 30FPS HDR, and this is the maximum limit to enjoy high quality without freezing and with smooth performance, although playing videos on 2k will be more than enough. However, this box has a maximum refresh rate ranging from 40 to 60 fps on average in FULL HD / 2k.
Play Games
The graphics processing in the Mecool KM2 Plus is based on the Mali-G31 MP2, which offers good performance on medium games like Asphalt 8, and this is at a resolution of 1080p because at 4K the situation will be disastrous, as for powerful games like PUBG or Call of Duty you will be able to play with low settings, that is why I think that the rest of the games will not face any problems and the gameplay will be smooth for the best gaming experience.
When you put this KM2 Plus under pressure its temperature can be reached 70ºC or more, causing a performance little drop. But on normal use like watching movies, the temperature is acceptable between 40ºC – 60ºC And I find that the cooling system is fine on this box.
Final verdict
Finally, for watching movies and TV shows, the Mecool KM2 Plus will not disappoint you, its provided good performance, especially in playing 4K videos without any problems, as for YouTube, 4K resolution may have some delay, All the popular TV streaming apps are available HD even Netflix, playing games was ok, the launcher remains fast and the system we have is Android TV 11, which is very stable, moves very smoothly, is one of the most powerful TV platforms out there. You have access to all of the most prominent streaming services on the market like Nexflix, Disney+, Hulu, Tubi, Prime Video, YouTube TV, and thousands more. We can run any game or app compatible with Android TV, What bothers me is a little memory. Currently, on the market, you can find not many devices that can compete with Mecool KM2 Plus for under $70.
Mecool KM2 Plus Price And Where To Buy
The Mecool KM2 Plus TV Box is available on AliExpress Store for an excellent price So, don’t miss out on this great deal. And to view its price or buy it, you can access the offer by clicking on the store icon.
Package Contents
- Mecool KM2 Plus TV Box
- Remote control
- Power Supply(12V/1A)
- HD Cable
- User Manual
Mecool KM2 Plus Specifications
| Hardware Key Specs | Amlogic S905X4 2Gb DDR4 16 Gb eMMC WiFi&BT RT8822CS 2R2T |
| Interfaces | HDTV support 4K*2K@60 max resolution output USB 2.0 USB 3.0 TF CARD Support 1~32GB SPDIF IR expand RJ45 LAN DC 12V/1A |
| Audio Codecs | AAC & HE-AAC Dolby Digital & Dolby Digital Plus & MS12 Dolby Atmos Passthrough |
| Video Codecs | H.264 AVC, H.265 HEVC, VP8 & VP9 |
| HDR | HDR10+,HDR & HLG |
| DRM | Widevine L1, Playready 3000 |
| Software Features | Android TV based on 11 ATV Standard Launcher Non-A/B GOTA USB Upgrade Boot Splash screen with a retail brand PAI as per country requirement HDMI-CEC |
| GTVS | Play Store, Play Movies&TV, Play Games, YouTube, YouTube Music, Assistant/Search, Chromecast Built-in, etc. Netflix Amazon Prime Video Disney + (installed during FTI via PAI) Other Apps to be installed during FTI via PAI Allow Skip Network Setup for FTI Allow Skip Google Account Sign-In for FTI |
| Certifications | Google ATV Netflix Amazon Prime Video MS12 including DD & DD+ HDMI2.1 (with CEC) HDCP2.3 CE,FCC, RoHS,PoPs,REACH |
| 110*110*24.05mm | |
| Packaged weight | 530g |
